| Scotty Hopson |
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| Team: Tennessee, Sophomore |
| Physicals | Positions | Rankings | Misc |
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H: 6' 6"
W: 195 lbs
Bday: 08/08/1989
(20 Years Old)
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Current: SG/SF
NBA: SG
Possible: SG/SF
| Rank 16 in NCAA Sophomores
Rank 64 in Top 100 Prospects
RSCI: 12
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High School: University Heights HS
Hometown: Hopkinsville, KY
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| Basic Per Game Statistics - Comprehensive Stats - Statistical Top 25s |
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|  Evaluating the NCAA Freshman Class, Part Two
January 14, 2009
Tennessee freshman Scotty Hopson entered this season with an enormous amount of hype, being expected to be one of the nation’s top freshmen since the first day he stepped on campus. Thus far, however, the results have been mixed, as 14 games into the season, Hopson is averaging just 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist in 20 minutes per game.
Hopson has put his many strengths and weaknesses on full display, and has shown that while the hype may someday be justified, he has a lot of work to do before reaching his vast potential. With a difficult conference schedule left to play, though, it will be up to Hopson to step up to the plate and maximize his strengths to help the Volunteers.
Standing at 6’7, with a great wingspan, Hopson has outstanding size and length for a wing player, and is an elite athlete at any level of competition. He possesses a good first step and nice quickness in the open floor, as well. While he could stand to add some more muscle to his slight, 185-pound frame, there is little not to like about Hopson’s physical profile.
Offensively, Hopson is for the most part a one trick pony at this point, primarily a spot-up perimeter gunner in coach Bruce Pearl’s up-tempo offense. After all, the 2.9 three point attempts per game constitute 43% of his total offense. His shooting form looks good at this point, as evidenced by his 41.3% three-point field goal percentage, but it is not without its kinks. While Hopson gets outstanding elevation, which combined with a high arching jump-shot makes his shot nearly impossible to block at this level, he needs continue to smooth out his mechanics, namely removing wasted motion from his lower body and working to make his motion more fluid. Outside of these small concerns, however, there is little not to like about Hopson’s perimeter shooting ability, which will likely translate favorably to the next level and is his primary weapon on the offensive end at this point in his young career.
Looking at other areas of Hopson’s offensive game reveal some flashes and potential, but little consistency. When he does choose to put the ball on the floor, he shows very poor ball handling ability, which limits his otherwise good first step and hinders his ability to get to the basket. This is a shame considering his elite leaping ability and body control, both of which suggest he could be a superb finisher at the collegiate level if he were to work on tightening up his handle and get more aggressive taking the ball to the basket. An improved handle would also likely help him find a mid-range game, which has been non-existent to this point in the season. Though he does not look like the greatest shot creator with the ball in his hands, he ideally should be able to open up more opportunities for himself with his athleticism and all-around talent.
Defensively, Hopson has a great deal of potential, but like many young “star” players, is mostly a non-factor on this end of the floor. Though he has a good wingspan and lateral quickness, he does not display much energy on defense, which is amplified by his lack of defensive awareness. He is also a very poor rebounder, grabbing just four rebounds per 40 minutes pace adjusted (worst amongst all SFs in our database), despite his elite physical attributes. These deficiencies are likely a big part of why he has yet to carve out a real niche at Tennessee early on. Increasing his intensity, at the very least, would be an improvement and would help him to find more minutes in Tennessee’s crowded perimeter, as well as improve his stock in the eyes of scouts.
The important thing to remember is that, despite Hopson’s many high school accolades, he is just a freshman, getting accustomed to playing for a very talented high-major division one basketball team. He has a tremendous amount of potential, and once his skill-set begins to catch up to his elite athleticism, he could develop into a tremendous player. Now, though, Hopson must work on his fundamentals, continue to expand his offensive game, and play more aggressively on both ends of the floor. The NBA is very likely in the long-term equation for a player of Hopson’s caliber, but he has a lot of work to do in the meantime.
 [Read Full Article]
Jordan Brand Classic Games (Day Three)
April 20, 2008
Scotty Hopson also found a way to translate his significant upside into an impressive performance (21 points, 4 rebounds, 8-13 FG, 18 minutes), scoring in a variety of ways, including 3-pointers, alleyoop finishes, baseline jumpers, and simple takes to the rim. He’s clearly one of the top athletes this class has to offer, and with his excellent size, scoring instincts and budding skills, will definitely be an interesting name to follow next season as a potential “sleeper” one and done candidate. What’s interesting about him is that despite already showing considerable talent and clearly getting excellent results, he still has a ton of room to improve on his all-around skill-set—his shooting, ball-handling and mid-range game in particular—which makes you think that his ceiling is probably extremely high. He needs to find a way to become a significantly better perimeter defender, though, as he seemingly puts little to no effort into this part of his game and already suffers from very poor fundamentals on this end of the floor.
[Read Full Article]
Nike Hoop Summit Recap: Team USA
April 16, 2008
A talented wing attending Tennessee next season, Hopson has some very nice tools to work with. His game starts with a high basketball IQ for a high school wing player, with good instincts when it comes to creating his own shot and finding open teammates. Hopson stands at a legit 6’5” and has good length which he uses well on the defensive end of the floor.
During his first couple years of college, the talented wing must improve his ball-handling and outside shooting. Hopson’s handle appears to be quite mechanical right now and he sometimes struggles to get to the hoop against stronger defensive players. His outside shooting stroke must become more consistent, though he does shoot the pull-up jumper from 18 feet on in quite effectively.
Hopson scored a number of his points against the World Team with his mid-range game, and showed the athleticism at the rim to finish and draw contact. He seems like the type of player who needs time to build up his draft stock, but he will have a chance to earn immediate minutes at Tennessee during his freshman season.
[Read Full Article]
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